I’m delighted to announce I will be sharing the Hollywood artful forest transformation project in a couple of weeks in the new Blackstairs Rural Film Festival.

I will be taking a small group around Hollywood (near Borris, South Co. Carlow) and opening a conversation around eco art practices and how I have applied them to changing a small monoculture conifer plantation into a forest.

During the walk I will share my draft audiovisual ebook – the ‘journey’ of this forest transformation of this small woodland that I’m preparing for the practice part of my art practice PhD studies. Bringing visitors around our forest with my ebook has evolved as over the last 6 months when I’ve found a number of visitors are coming to Hollywood, local people yet some from far away as Australia, Northern Ireland, just to learn about the project (I have to thank Green Sod Ireland for asking me to do a walk and talk back in April for helping me develop this idea).

So depending on who turns up we may very well discuss the practicalities of forest tending, the challenges of creating artworks, writings in an age of catastrophic biodiversity loss, the idea that local activities may help influence national land policies or contribute to science or we may very well get distracted by Holly, our dog, who lent her name to this project and the project being put on the local map.

The places are limited. Bookings are to be made directly through me at cathyart@gmail.com.

I also suggested the film for BlackStairsEcoTrails – “Trashed” produced and narrated by Jeremy Irons. It will be in shown in the Blackstairs EcoTrails new Barn on Sunday night, down the road at Killedmond, Co. Carlow.

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PS some of you might remember I filmed a short clip of Jeremy Irons reciting a poem about the benefits of planting trees last year. I was just remembering ‘the line’ that whoever plants a tree is giving ‘ a blessing for the neighbourhood’ – so its nice to share the work I am co-creating with Hollywood to the local Blackstairs community too. Many thanks to Orla Ryan, Cornelia McCarthy and the Blackstairs Rural Film committee for the invitation to take part.

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I explore new ideas and practices for eco-social well being by bringing art and non-art practices together in my creative practice. I also offer Ecoliteracy learning for the arts at www.haumea.site
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Through my practice and an art practice-theory PhD "The Ecological Turn", I have developed a guiding theory-method framework to articulate the context and workings of long-term eco-social art practices. These vital practices activate ecoliteracy and agency for environmental change in communities. Much of my PhD drew on my experiences and challenges, and the review of others' pioneering creative practices' that are responding to ecological concerns. My own transversal practice reflects on the transformation of the small conifer plantation that I live with, Hollywood forest, toward new-to-Ireland, Close-to-Nature forestry. I bring previous experience in biological science research and interests in environmental philosophy, policy development and ecocide-Rights of Nature law developments into the mix.
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Somehow an eco-social art practice allows me to connect and move across these various strands of interest to create a new agency for myself and the human and non-human neighbours I depend on and live with.
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Hollywood forest is the smallest Close-to-Nature forest in Ireland; its growing happily near Mt Leinster and the Blackstairs mountains in South East Ireland.